About PollsAfrica
A research and polling agency. We collect data properly, publish its sources, and leave the conclusions to the reader.
What PollsAfrica is
PollsAfrica is a research and polling agency for Africa. We design and run surveys, evaluations and market research for development agencies and companies working on the continent. Alongside that work we publish a directory of national office holders and a calendar of upcoming elections, each fact linked to an official source.
Why we exist
Decision makers in Africa often work with data that is old, unsourced or tied to a political side. We exist to fix that in two ways. First, public data that is non-partisan and sourced, covering the whole continent, free to read. Second, commissioned research done to a stated standard, where the buyer can see exactly how every number was produced.
Long-running academic surveys such as Afrobarometer set the benchmark for depth. We do not try to replace them. We add faster, more frequent research and open data between their rounds.
What we do
Research for business and development partners
We run opinion polls, household and customer surveys, programme evaluations, baseline and endline studies, and qualitative work. Companies use them to understand customers and markets. Development partners use them to measure results and meet donor requirements. See the pages for business research and development partners, or read our capability statement.
Public data
- Government directory: national office holders by country, each record linked to its source.
- Election calendar: upcoming national elections, with dates only where an official source gives them.
- Insights: short, sourced explainers such as who runs government and the Africa election calendar for 2027.
How we work
We run an expert network model. We bid as sole prime contractor, so the buyer has one contract and one point of accountability. On each study a named university expert from the country joins as a paid key expert. They review the instrument, guide ethics approval and sign off the topline. You can read about that role, or apply, on the expert network page.
Face-to-face fieldwork goes through vetted local field partners, who sign our data protection and anti-fraud annex before they start. For phone work in Nigeria we draw on our own sampling frame of more than 11,000+ numbers.
Quality controls apply to every study: a pilot before fieldwork, supervisors who listen to a sample of calls, automated checks for speeding, straightlining and duplicate devices, back-checks by re-contact, and weighting to the latest census. Every release states its sponsor, dates, sample, mode, frame, weighting, margin of error and exact question wording. The full description is on the methods page.
Independence and non-partisan rules
- We take no work from political parties or candidates.
- We publish facts and numbers with their source. We do not editorialise.
- We never estimate or invent a figure and present it as data.
- We survey adults aged 18 and over.
- We name the sponsor of every release.
Who pays for what, and who owns the company, is set out on funding and ownership.
Who we are
PollsAfrica is run by Academic Support Services NG Ltd (RC 9416237), based in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded by Ayoola Jegede, who leads it as director. Read his profile.
Leadership
Ayoola Jegede founded PollsAfrica, NigeriaPolls and TaxLienSimple. He is a PMP-certified programme leader with more than 10 years of experience running technology programmes worth up to $5M and above, and he serves on the boards of companies in education, training and healthcare logistics. He is a member of the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) and American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). Visit ayoolajegede.com.
Registrations
| Company | Academic Support Services NG Ltd, RC 9416237 |
|---|---|
| UN Global Marketplace | Vendor 1283542 |
| EU PIC | 861027485 |
| World Bank | Vendor registration VMP0010186 |
More detail is on the credentials page.
How to reach us
- Commissioning research: research@pollsafrica.com
- Expert and field partners: partner@pollsafrica.com
- Press: press@pollsafrica.com
- Support: support@pollsafrica.com
- Corrections: corrections@pollsafrica.com
- Legal: legal@pollsafrica.com
Or use the contact form. We are in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.
Frequently asked questions
What is PollsAfrica?
PollsAfrica is a research and polling agency based in Lagos, Nigeria. We run surveys, evaluations and market research for companies and development partners across Africa, and we publish open public data: a directory of national office holders, an election calendar and short explainers.
Who owns and runs PollsAfrica?
PollsAfrica is operated by Academic Support Services NG Ltd (RC 9416237), registered in Nigeria. It was founded by Ayoola Jegede, who leads it as director. Our funding and ownership page sets out how the company is financed.
Do you work for political parties or candidates?
No. We take no work from political parties or candidates, in any country. We do run research for companies, development agencies and other institutions, and every published release names its sponsor.
Are you a polling company or a research consultancy?
Both. We are a polling company in the sense that we field phone, online and face-to-face surveys of adults. We are a research company in the sense that we also design evaluations, market studies and qualitative work, and bring a named university expert from the country onto each study.
Which countries do you cover?
Our public data covers countries across Africa, and our commissioned research is designed country by country. Each proposal states the countries, the mode of fieldwork and the schedule.
Are you registered as a vendor with international agencies?
Yes. We hold a United Nations Global Marketplace vendor number (1283542), an EU PIC (861027485) and a World Bank vendor registration (VMP0010186). We also publish our company registration number.
How do I commission a study or report an error?
For a study, write to research@pollsafrica.com or use the contact form and we will reply with a scoped proposal. For an error on a public page, write to corrections@pollsafrica.com.